"I thought history would be a trifle more complete," wrote Knight, "if these innings ... were gathered together and published in a form handy for reference." He was not wrong. The upshot was that in 1870, the Almanack included brief editorial summaries for each match, and set a further precedent by nominating players of the season for each of the leading counties. Henry Jupp earned the plaudits at Surrey for his "careful, correct and scientific" batting, while Kent's Edgar Willsher was afforded two whole pages for his feats in a 19-year career.

In 1872, the beginnings of Wisden's famous obituary section came into being, when 15 cricketers were listed as having died in the previous year, including Mr Dark of Lord's, and the father of WG Grace. But it wasn't until Sydney Pardon took over as editor in 1891, following the deaths of John Wisden himself (on April 5, 1884) and Sydney's brother, Charles (in 1890) that a full obituaries section was finally commissioned.Editor W.H. KnightPages 224Price 1/-